The Doll Has a Name Chapter 21.2 - About Us 

Despite the cozy ride and the familiar clattering vibration, Kise gradually felt her tension easing.

 

Come to think of it, I barely slept last night, and today was a whirlwind of trying to grasp my duties while being so tense.

 

Even now, my head is buzzing, trying to process the flood of information that rushed in, and I’m utterly exhausted.

 

No matter how accustomed I am to learning new things, today really took it out of me. Kise struggled to shake off her drooping vision.

 

‘Ah, but he’s so warmly human.’

 

However, the heat from the body temperature transmitted through the shoulder pressed against hers incessantly fanned her desire to sleep.

 

Her body was already exhausted to death, and having something warm next to her made her just want to lean against it completely. Her body began to tilt more and more toward the shoulder she was bumping against.

 

Just why did this man have such a high body temperature?

 

Kise forced her eyelids open and glanced sideways at Leonhardt. Who knew what he was scheming, but his appearance was kind, and his demeanor was capable. 

 

From what she saw today, he seemed to be well-trusted by the company employees.

 

‘The moment I start thinking he’s a reliable person to have in a strange land… is the moment I’m already starting to be fooled!’

 

‘Ugh,’ Kise tried to shake her sinking consciousness awake.

 

Leonhardt, who had been looking through documents even inside the carriage, suddenly lowered his gaze to Kise.

 

Seeing her eyelids, weak and repeatedly drooping and lifting, he adjusted his shoulder to make it easier for her to lean on.

 

“You can lean on me if you’re tired.”

 

As he turned his head and spoke, his warm breath landed directly on her nape.

 

💫

 

He naturally supported her body while shifting his posture to let her lean against him without burden. 

 

Leonhardt’s temptation resembled the whisper of a devil.

 

So, while mumbling a refusal—‘No’—Kise’s head was already tilting toward Leonhardt’s shoulder. 

 

The moment his body heat warmed her skin, she felt indescribably languid.

 

His broad, reassuring shoulders were pleasant, and the scent lingering on his clothes gently clouded her mind.

 

It almost felt as if his reddish hair, which she hadn’t even touched, was spilling into her hand.

 

For a moment, Kise felt as if she were lying on a soft cotton quilt and let her stream of consciousness flow freely. 

 

A human heater, a human floor mat, a human heating pad…

 

“Who, me?”

 

She thought she had only said it in her mind, but it seemed the words had slipped out.

 

Leonhardt, who had caught her ant-like whisper, suddenly brought his face close to hers. His eyes curved as if to ask, ‘Are you talking about me?’ Her drowsy pupils dilated in an instant. 

 

Jolted back to full awareness, Kise sharply averted her gaze to the window to avoid looking at him.

 

Just then, the carriage left the merchant-crowded Melbur Street and was circling the plaza. 

 

To shake off her embarrassment, Kise pointed at the distant city hall building and changed the subject.

 

“That’s the city hall, right?”

 

“Hmm, yes.”

 

Around the city hall building, institutions like the parliament, the courthouse, the bank, and the police station stood in tightly packed rows. 

 

Kise, who had been staring intently at them, suddenly spoke.

 

“That’s strange.”

 

“What is?”

 

“If there are no kings or nobles, who handles the administration?”

 

“People who aren’t them take turns doing it. Mercà has two mayors who jointly administer the city. Their terms are fixed, but they can be re-elected, so it’s not a big problem.”

 

“That’s exactly what’s strange. What about them is there to trust?”

 

They’re not even nobles. That unspoken addition hung in Kise’s words. 

 

Nobles have their long-established family lines; their very existence guarantees their capability. 

 

But without that, how can it work?

 

Leonhardt caught Kise’s doubt, which was thoroughly rooted in aristocratic thinking, with a relaxed smile. 

 

However, contrary to his gentle appearance, his reasoning was sharp and precise.

 

“Of course, it’s through voting based on recommendations.”

 

This young lady must be…

 

“To receive a recommendation, one must have a good record and reputation.”

 

…originally from nobility, or…

 

“It’s even better if they are renowned both domestically and internationally.”

 

…something very close to nobility.

 

“So, have you developed an interest in politics?”

 

She must be one of the two.

 

In that case, why did you come here?

 

His intense golden eyes focused on Kise as if probing for a secret.

 

Feeling a strange sensation of the thick air condensing and tightening around her, Kise thought carefully before answering.

 

“It’s not like that yet, but I think I’ll become interested soon. So that means if I consistently take care of myself, I could become a leader too. If there’s an opportunity and a possibility, who would refuse that? If something like that ever happens to me in the future, please be sure to vote for me.”

 

Please support me. Give me your precious vote. I’m candidate number N, Kise Ohara.

 

Kise bowed to Leonhardt, then gave a slight nod to Tristan. 

 

The two men, who had unexpectedly accepted her request, were purely impressed by Kise’s future-oriented investment tendency.

 

“Wow. That’s a really big dream.”

“I had no idea your aspirations were this grand.”

 

“Why? Is it wrong to have big dreams?”

 

“No, honey! Dreams like that are something you usually only write once in the ‘future career’ section in school, then you grow up healthy and strong, get crushed by reality, and they become a dark history you only occasionally dig up alone for a trip down memory lane, right?”

 

“I never dreamed like that when I was young.”

 

It’s not a dream you can just have. 

 

A dream like this is impossible anywhere but this country. If you’d dreamed of this in the kingdom, it would be something you’d be taken away for on charges of treason.

 

Kise decided to fully enjoy the current luxury of being able to dream. 

 

So from now on, she would only dream as big and as good as possible. She intended to turn her path ahead into a path of flowers personally.

 

“Self-care is something you have to look at long-term and do consistently. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

 

Leonhardt seriously chimed in on Kise’s declaration about running for mayor in the future.

 

“How about planning for about ten years?”

 

“That’s not nearly enough. You need to do more.”